Arts

Here's the surprise about Laura Jacqmin: She does not have a weight problem.

Oh, sure, she comes from a family where weight is a topic. But, hey, she's an American. In this country weight is always a topic.

But Jacqmin, whose play "January Joiner: A Weight Loss Horror Comedy" will be presented this week at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, got to thinking: Do we really want the transformation we're seeking with weight loss? And if we obtain this conversion, what happens to our personal relationships, to say nothing of the relationship to our inner selves?

"When we are letting other people shape why we're doing something or why we should be doing something, that's really dangerous," Jacqmin said. "It's fascinating that our size is never just a matter of concern for us. Our friends have opinions about us. Our family has opinions about us. Our lovers have opinions about us."

Eat less. Exercise more. Make healthy choices. Ignore the bloodthirsty vending machine when it speaks to you. The clientele of a high-end weight-loss spa in sunny Florida in Jacqmin's "January Joiner" try to live these mantras daily. But at what cost? In this modern age, when we are barraged with rail- thin models in magazines, "miracle" cleanses and fad diets, Jacqmin's play asks: Why can't we just be happy with ourselves?

The new comedy, which runs Jan. 9 through Feb.10 on Stage II, shows us that what appears in the mirror isn't always what it seems.

"There are two big fears people have about weight loss," Jacqmin said. "One is the fear of the people around us have, which is that we won't be the same person once we've changed. The other is the fear that we have, and that is that we will."

Inspired to write the play by events in her family life, Jacqmin blends elements of horror and comedy in an effort to depict the struggles of real people dealing with change, in both themselves and their loved ones.

"The play grapples with the American obsession with size, and what our bodies say about us," Jacqmin said. "If what's outside is the only thing that counts, do our insides really matter? What happens to us when the people who are closest to us change?"

The production, which focuses on two sisters and their trip to a weight-loss spa, will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Eric Ting. "At its heart, it is a play about two sisters growing apart, about becoming so different that they don't recognize each other," Ting said.

Jacqmin, a Yale University graduate, received her MFA from Ohio University. Her play "Two Lakes, Two Rivers" was workshopped at the 2012 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Other plays include "Ski Dubai," "Look, We Are Breathing" and "Dental Society Midwinter Meeting."

Jacqmin said her play is fundamentally about personal identity.

"Whenever you're defining your own self-worth based on a number on a scale, that's really dangerous," she said. "I went to high school with several girls who became severely anorexic and it was frightening because at a certain point, it's not about your body anymore. It's so much to do with identities, its so much to do with personalities."

"Laura is a writer of tremendous gifts who I've been following for some time," said Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. "We are delighted to introduce her and offer this world premiere."

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